Shadowing Practice: Feedback Mechanisms - Your body’s control Systems - Physiology - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Feedback Mechanisms - Your body’s control Systems - Physiology”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: blood, feedback, lead, negative, oxygen. This video has 110 sentences and 1108 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:09. The speaker talks at a steady 136 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hemoglobin noun | /ˌhimoʊˈɡloʊbɪn/ | The iron-containing substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body; it consists of a protein (globulin), and haem… |
| contraction noun | /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/ | An act of incurring debt; also (generally), an act of acquiring something (generally negative). |
| thyroid adjective | /ˈθaɪ.ɹɔɪd/ | Of, relating to, or being the thyroid cartilage. |
| dioxide noun | /daɪˈɑksaɪd/ | Any oxide containing two oxygen atoms in each molecule. |
| cascade noun | /kæsˈkeɪd/ | A waterfall or series of small waterfalls. |
| artery noun | /ˈɑɹ.təɹ.i/ | Any of the muscular- and elastic-walled blood vessels forming part of the circulation system by which blood is conveyed away from the heart regardless of its… |
| cervix noun | /ˈsɝ.vɪks/ | The neck. |
| pituitary adjective | /pɪˈtuɪˌtɛɹi/ | Of or relating to the pituitary gland. |
| potassium noun | /pəˈtæsiəm/ | A soft, waxy, silvery reactive metal that is never found unbound in nature; an element with atomic number 19 and atomic weight of 39.0983. |
| bleed verb | /ˈbliːd/ | To shed blood through an injured blood vessel. |
| glucose noun | /ˈɡluː.kəʊz/ | A simple monosaccharide (sugar) with a molecular formula of C₆H₁₂O₆; a principle source of energy for cellular metabolism. |
| activate verb | /ˈæktɪˌveɪt/ | To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate. |
| hormone noun | /ˈhoɹmoʊn/ | Any substance produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity. |
| calcium noun | /ˈkælsi.əm/ | The chemical element (symbol Ca) with atomic number 20: a soft, silvery-white alkaline earth metal which occurs naturally as carbonate in limestone and as… |
| arterial adjective | Of or relating to an artery. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How are you today?
- If you don't get it, let's get an example.
- So you're saying that positive feedback is always bad?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is given · is stimulated · is called |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | hemoglobin, which is · decrease, which will · minute, which will |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contraction /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/, inhibition /ɪnhɪˈbɪʃən/, stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, initiate /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/, activation /ˌæktəˈveɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: hemoglobin /ˌhimoʊˈɡloʊbɪn/, pituitary /pɪˈtuɪˌtɛɹi/, coronary /ˈkɔɹənɛɹi/, inhibition /ɪnhɪˈbɪʃən/, stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hemoglobin, contraction, thyroid.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.












